QuoteReplyTopic: Influenza Exposure May Lead to Heightened Risk in Posted: January 23 2018 at 8:10am

Influenza Exposure May Lead to Heightened Risk in Future Pandemics

Throughout the past century there have been at least 5 pandemics related to the influenza A virus and a new data analysis published in mBio by the American Society for Microbiology, suggests that individuals born at the time of a pandemic are more susceptible to death in future pandemics.

This new finding is contrary to the widely accepted idea that exposure to influenza A viruses typically creates a defense against strains of influenza.

Matthew Miller, PhD, senior author of the paper, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, and senior researcher with its Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research, told EurekAlert! that the enhanced vulnerability has been poorly understood in the infectious disease community and that future studies should focus on determining the factors that are responsible for the heightened susceptibility.

Dr. Miller and teams from McMaster University and the Université de Montréal analyzed influenza data from October 1997 to July 2014 collected from the United States and Mexico. The results found that individuals who were born just prior to the 1957 H2N2 Asian Flu pandemic had higher mortality rates during the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic and the 2013-2014 H1N1 outbreak.

Consistent findings were reported amongst the data collected in previous pandemics. Those exposed to the influenza virus during the 1890 pandemic had higher death rates in the 1918 pandemic, just as those affected in 1918 had higher death rates during the 1968 pandemic.

“We suggest the phenomenon of 1918 is not unique,” Miller told EurekAlert!. “We believe that exposure to pandemic influenza early in life is a risk factor for mortality during subsequent cross-strain pandemics.”

The findings of this study suggest that a solution would be a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of influenza. William Schaffner, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, recently discussed if it is possible to develop a universal flu vaccine with Contagion®.

But before any new vaccines can be developed to prevent the increased susceptibility to individuals exposed to multiple pandemics, researchers must pinpoint exactly what is causing the heightened risk among those previously affected.

I would need to see the oriinal, peer reviewed, study to accept that as gospel, but it does shake my faith in the accepted theories too.

I can see a couple of flaws which may potentially lie in the research, like the fact that those born in or before 1918, are older than those born in 1920, which will reduce immunity as well. How much allowance for this has been factored into the findings?

Conversely, although I have never heard of Miller before, De Groot is well known and respected.

It raises the questions: "If exposure to a virrulent influenza lowers your resistance to later strains, does exposure to milder strains do so as well, just to a lesser degree? If that is the case, what about vaccines? Does this explain reduced immunity as we age? By inference, should we only vaccinate when the circulating flu is very nasty - like this year? Or should we always vaccinate, as getting the flu, even if you 'fully recover', is another coffin nail?" TOO MANY QUESTIONS!!!

i dont think it makes sense,if that was the case ,that would mean if you had a vaccination it would make you more suseptable to a virus,and we know thats not correct,

"Miller and teams from McMaster University and the Université de Montréal analyzed influenza data from October 1997 to July 2014 collected from the United States and Mexico. The results found that individuals who were born just prior to the 1957 H2N2 Asian Flu pandemic had higher mortality rates during the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic and the 2013-2014 H1N1 outbreak.

Consistent findings were reported amongst the data collected in previous pandemics. Those exposed to the influenza virus during the 1890 pandemic had higher death rates in the 1918 pandemic, just as those affected in 1918 had higher death rates during the 1968 pandemic,"

this does not take into account the age of victims,and location,

I.E. by the look of the dates most of the victims would have been over 50+,

when i checked out the link arirish posted i found this just under it .....

Researchers Discover New Virus Called Influenza D

SEP 20, 2016 | EINAV KEET

We hear a lot about influenza types A and B every year when flu season approaches, and occasionally about the less severe type C. Now researchers have identified a new form of the virus—influenza D.

The announcement of this new flu comes from the South Dakota State University research team who first isolated the virus in a diseased pig in Oklahoma in 2011. A study on their findings now appears in the American Society for Microbiologyjournal. Five years after their initial discovery of the new genus in theOrthomyxoviridae family, with a single species the team dubbed influenza D, and the executive committee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses has given their approval to the naming.

Funding for the research on the biology, genetics, and evolution of the new virus came from a nearly $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, secured by university professors Feng Li, PhD, DVM, and Radhey Kaushik, BV Sc., AH, PhD. In their initial findings, the research team noted pigs exhibiting symptoms such as mild respiratory illness, from what they observed to be an influenza C-like virus. Humans are the natural reservoir for type C flu, which on rare occasions has been found in pigs and dogs, so the study authors say their initial findings raised many questions about whether current understanding of influenza C is correct.

“It is unclear why influenza D virus was found only in 2011, not earlier,” says study author Dr. Li. “This virus has been around for some time. It can be traced back as early as in 2002 but may have been with us for hundreds of years already. Since 2011, the new virus has been frequently detected in worldwide bovines or pigs with influenza-like symptoms.”

Although the initial finding of the novel influenza virus appeared in a pig, routine testing of nasal swabs from pigs challenged the researchers’ early theory that swine is the primary host of the virus. After taking nasal swab samples from 45 animals in six states, the scientists traced the primary reservoir for the virus back to cattle, making this the first influenza type detected in cattle. Analysis of samples taken from cows, sheep, and goats showed that eight samples from Oklahoma and Minnesota came up positive for the new virus. Through genome sequencing of samples taken from the bovine herds, they discovered that the virus was genetically and antigenically distinct from influenzas type A, B, and C, though it has about a 53% similarity to type C.

“Viruses such as influenza D viruses with bovine origin to which humans have no preexisting immunity may pose a potential risk to human health if jumping to humans.” - Feng Li, PhD, DVM.

In their study, the researchers note that poultry are not affected by the new virus, though it is surprisingly widespread in bovine herds. The study authors emphasize that while influenza D has not been found in humans, they don’t yet know if the virus could impact human health. Modeling for human influenza virus pathogenesis studies suggests this pathogen has the potential to cause disease in humans, say the authors. The presence of this new virus in cattle and its presumptive spillover to swine, both of which live in close proximity to humans, further highlights its potential threat to human health, which the authors say merits further studies.

“Viruses such as influenza D viruses with bovine origin to which humans have no preexisting immunity may pose a potential risk to human health if jumping to humans,” says Dr. Li. “A recent human study provided serological evidence of influenza D virus infections in humans, or zoonosis, especially in those who were exposed to bovines infected with the virus. However, little is still known whether influenza D virus can cause disease in humans.”

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